Making sense of what grows — whether in the soil, in the arts, or in the data. So we took a moment to garden the numbers and explore something quietly powerful: how many people in the UK are still working past 65?
🌱 Digging Into the Numbers
We pulled data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Institute for Fiscal Studies, then built a simple bar chart to visualise employment rates by age group. Here’s what we found:
55% of people aged 60–64 are still working By age 65, that drops to 42% 32% of people aged 66–69 remain in employment Just 15% of those aged 70+ are still working
While this might look like a natural tapering-off, the figures are actually higher than a decade ago — especially for those working part-time, often in flexible or service roles.
🌻 What Does This Mean?
This quiet rise in post-65 employment may reflect a mix of:
Rising cost of living Delayed retirement for financial or personal reasons Increased life expectancy and healthier ageing And a desire for purpose, community, or routine
For the UK economy, it means an untapped layer of experience and contribution that isn’t ready to retire quietly. It also raises deeper questions about pension readiness, access to meaningful late-stage work, and whether rural and small-town economies can keep older workers supported and included.
🪴 Growing Your Curiosity
Sometimes data doesn’t shout — it hums.
It tells us that ageing doesn’t mean stopping.
It suggests that we’re rewriting what “retired” looks like.
🧠 Got thoughts on working past retirement?
📊 Want more charts like this from us?
🌼 Subscribe to the blog — and let us know what you’d love us to garden next.
#DataWithHeart #WorkingPast65
